Published: Wednesday, April 30, 2014 at 9:38 p.m.

Last Modified: Wednesday, April 30, 2014 at 9:38 p.m.

Congress’ decision Wednesday not to raise the federal minimum wage from $7.25 an hour will affect Florida more than most states because of the Sunshine State’s abundance of low-wage hospitality, retail and service jobs.

But even as Senate Republicans in Washington, D.C., killed the Obama administration’s plan to hike the minimum wage, some Southwest Florida employers are taking the initiative to voluntarily raise workers’ pay.

On Monday, Sunset Automotive Group, Sarasota’s eighth-largest employer, plans to raise the minimum it pays staffers to $11 per hour.

The move will affect the paychecks of 50 of Sunset’s 650 employees who work at 13 auto dealerships in the region.

“Our reason for this increase is simple,” said Robert Geyer, Sunset’s president. “We are a family business and we feel strongly about our employees and their families. They should make a livable salary.”

According to the State of Florida’s Labor Market Services, current entry level wages for shipping and receiving clerks, receptionists, janitorial staff and porters averages $8.88 an hour.

Sunset’s new starting wage will be 24 percent higher than that figure.

For Rick Conley, a 71-year-old shuttle car driver at Sunset Chevrolet, the hike will represent a relatively significant boost — about $4,000 per year.

He drives customers around to supplement the Social Security income he and his wife, Rosalie, receive. The extra income will come in handy for the couple, who watch their 4-year-old grandson so their daughter and son-in-law can avoid hefty child care expenses.

Conley called his wife as soon as he found out about Sunset’s plan. “She said, ‘Thank you Lord, Thank you, Lord.’ She said it twice,” Conley said.

State and region lag

On average, Florida is in the bottom third in terms of wages, according to a new study by the federal Bureau of Labor Statistics.

It found Florida’s average weekly wage is $808 per week, more than $100 less than the national average of $922 — ranking Florida 31st among states.

At the same time, Florida has had very little wage growth in the past 12 months, up just 1.1 percent. That placed the state 46th in wage growth in what many analysts called an economic recovery year.

Sarasota and Manatee counties rank even lower: Average pay rates in the region are $744 per week in Sarasota and $699 in Manatee.

“The bottom line is, if you look at the range of jobs we have here in Florida, we are just not like New York or areas of California or Texas that have a different kind of business model,” said Christopher McCarty, director of the University of Florida’s Bureau of Economic and Business Research. “The minimum wage debate affects Florida more than it affects a lot of other places.”

Texas, by comparison, has average weekly pay of $952, the agency found, ranking it 12th nationwide.

“Even in a place like Texas, the people in the service jobs can be paid more because you have a higher proportion of salaried workers, who bid up the hourly rate,” McCarty said.

Ben Vanderneck, a team leader at job counselor CareerSource Suncoast’s Sarasota office, sees first hand how low-wage employees struggle with Florida’s minimum wage of just under $8 an hour. Florida’s minimum is higher than the federal minimum because of a 2004 state law that indexes the state’s wages to inflation.

“If it doesn’t pay enough to help them cover their child care, their gas costs, that is something they really have to take into consideration,” Vanderneck said.

Above the poverty line

A bill by U.S. Sen. Tom Harkin, D-Iowa, on Wednesday would have gradually raised the federal minimum wage, which has been unchanged since 2009, to $10.10 an hour.

The bill also would have ensured that the minimum wage rose with inflation after it hit that $10.10 level, 30 months after being signed into law. The legislation would also allow a family of three to live above the federal poverty line on one full-time income for the first time since 1979.

But the Senate voted it down, 54 to 42, on a test vote, led by GOP lawmakers who cited a Congressional Budget Office report that concluded such a hike would eliminate up to 500,000 jobs.

Proponents said the hike would have had a ripple effect that would have benefited workers across the board.

“If the minimum wage were to go up to $10.10, you would also see workers who were making a little over the minimum getting a raise as well,” said Jack Temple, policy analyst at the National Employment Law Project.

Back at Sunset, executives hope raising the company’s internal minimum wage will encourage job applicants to consider the company.

“If somebody comes to us to wash cars, which is clearly an entry level position, they are going to get offered $11,” said Sunset Automotive human resources director Lisa Eding.

Sunset hopes to leverage the pay increase to attract quality candidates to various positions, she said.

“Our most challenging position in recruiting is for certified automotive technicians for our service and body shop departments,” Eding said.

Nicole Ednie, 21, started working for Sunset Chevrolet six weeks ago. Though technically she works as a body shop porter, in reality she does everything from washing cars to sweeping the shop floor.

<p>Congress' decision Wednesday not to raise the federal minimum wage from $7.25 an hour will affect Florida more than most states because of the Sunshine State's abundance of low-wage hospitality, retail and service jobs.</p><p>But even as Senate Republicans in Washington, D.C., killed the Obama administration's plan to hike the minimum wage, some Southwest Florida employers are taking the initiative to voluntarily raise workers' pay.</p><p>On Monday, Sunset Automotive Group, Sarasota's eighth-largest employer, plans to raise the minimum it pays staffers to $11 per hour.</p><p>The move will affect the paychecks of 50 of Sunset's 650 employees who work at 13 auto dealerships in the region.</p><p>“Our reason for this increase is simple,” said Robert Geyer, Sunset's president. “We are a family business and we feel strongly about our employees and their families. They should make a livable salary.”</p><p>According to the State of Florida's Labor Market Services, current entry level wages for shipping and receiving clerks, receptionists, janitorial staff and porters averages $8.88 an hour.</p><p>Sunset's new starting wage will be 24 percent higher than that figure.</p><p>For Rick Conley, a 71-year-old shuttle car driver at Sunset Chevrolet, the hike will represent a relatively significant boost — about $4,000 per year.</p><p>He drives customers around to supplement the Social Security income he and his wife, Rosalie, receive. The extra income will come in handy for the couple, who watch their 4-year-old grandson so their daughter and son-in-law can avoid hefty child care expenses.</p><p>Conley called his wife as soon as he found out about Sunset's plan. “She said, 'Thank you Lord, Thank you, Lord.' She said it twice,” Conley said.</p><p><B>State and region lag</b></p><p>On average, Florida is in the bottom third in terms of wages, according to a new study by the federal Bureau of Labor Statistics.</p><p>It found Florida's average weekly wage is $808 per week, more than $100 less than the national average of $922 — ranking Florida 31st among states.</p><p>At the same time, Florida has had very little wage growth in the past 12 months, up just 1.1 percent. That placed the state 46th in wage growth in what many analysts called an economic recovery year.</p><p>Sarasota and Manatee counties rank even lower: Average pay rates in the region are $744 per week in Sarasota and $699 in Manatee.</p><p>“The bottom line is, if you look at the range of jobs we have here in Florida, we are just not like New York or areas of California or Texas that have a different kind of business model,” said Christopher McCarty, director of the University of Florida's Bureau of Economic and Business Research. “The minimum wage debate affects Florida more than it affects a lot of other places.”</p><p>Texas, by comparison, has average weekly pay of $952, the agency found, ranking it 12th nationwide.</p><p>“Even in a place like Texas, the people in the service jobs can be paid more because you have a higher proportion of salaried workers, who bid up the hourly rate,” McCarty said.</p><p>Ben Vanderneck, a team leader at job counselor CareerSource Suncoast's Sarasota office, sees first hand how low-wage employees struggle with Florida's minimum wage of just under $8 an hour. Florida's minimum is higher than the federal minimum because of a 2004 state law that indexes the state's wages to inflation.</p><p>“If it doesn't pay enough to help them cover their child care, their gas costs, that is something they really have to take into consideration,” Vanderneck said.</p><p><B>Above the poverty line </b></p><p>A bill by U.S. Sen. Tom Harkin, D-Iowa, on Wednesday would have gradually raised the federal minimum wage, which has been unchanged since 2009, to $10.10 an hour.</p><p>The bill also would have ensured that the minimum wage rose with inflation after it hit that $10.10 level, 30 months after being signed into law. The legislation would also allow a family of three to live above the federal poverty line on one full-time income for the first time since 1979.</p><p>But the Senate voted it down, 54 to 42, on a test vote, led by GOP lawmakers who cited a Congressional Budget Office report that concluded such a hike would eliminate up to 500,000 jobs.</p><p>Proponents said the hike would have had a ripple effect that would have benefited workers across the board.</p><p>“If the minimum wage were to go up to $10.10, you would also see workers who were making a little over the minimum getting a raise as well,” said Jack Temple, policy analyst at the National Employment Law Project.</p><p>Back at Sunset, executives hope raising the company's internal minimum wage will encourage job applicants to consider the company.</p><p>“If somebody comes to us to wash cars, which is clearly an entry level position, they are going to get offered $11,” said Sunset Automotive human resources director Lisa Eding. </p><p>Sunset hopes to leverage the pay increase to attract quality candidates to various positions, she said.</p><p>“Our most challenging position in recruiting is for certified automotive technicians for our service and body shop departments,” Eding said.</p><p>Nicole Ednie, 21, started working for Sunset Chevrolet six weeks ago. Though technically she works as a body shop porter, in reality she does everything from washing cars to sweeping the shop floor. </p><p>For Ednie, the companywide hike will mean a raise of $2,000 per year.</p><p>“My first thought is how awesome this is.”</p>